Gingrich Sees a Surge in Tennessee

KINGSPORT, Tenn. — Newt Gingrich touted good news in polls as he campaigned in Tennessee just ahead of Tuesday’s primary election.

At a campaign stop here, Mr. Gingrich cited polls showing him gaining ground, and the campaign announced it is running its first 30-second TV ad since the Florida GOP primary. At a Chattanooga event Monday night, the former House speaker will be joined by Herman Cain, who dropped out of the presidential race in December.

On Monday, a Public Policy Polling survey of likely primary voters here showed Rick Santorum leading with 34% support, followed by Mitt Romney at 29% and Mr. Gingrich with 27% support. Those results suggest Mr. Gingrich’s gain was Mr. Santorum’s loss since earlier polls had the former Pennsylvania senator ahead by double digits and the two are competing for the same bloc of conservatives.

An erosion in Mr. Santorum’s support could open the way for Mr. Romney to win the state on Tuesday. As The Wall Street Journal reported, a Romney victory here would allow him to argue that he is capable of both winning in the blue-collar Midwest, as he did in Michigan, and in the South. It would also damp Mr. Gingrich’s claim that he represents the interests of southern Republicans.

Later in Alcoa, Tenn., Mr. Gingrich chided Mr. Romney over his wealth — a line of attack he hasn’t used in a while. Mr. Gingrich said during an interview on conservative Scott Hennen‘s radio program, in reference to gasoline prices: “Romney may be rich enough that he hasn’t noticed how big of a problem this is.”

The former Massachusetts governor recently dismissed Mr. Gingrich’s pledge that he would bring gas prices down to $2.50 a gallon as “pandering.” Numerous analysts have also said it’s impossible predict such specific prices at the pump.

Mr. Gingrich made similar comments Monday morning on Fox News, though he has so far opted not to use the line in front of voters. Speaking to voters in Kingsport this afternoon, Mr. Gingrich said, “There’s this thing called setting goals. It’s not called ‘pandering.’ It’s called leadership.”

The shift is notable since Mr. Gingrich has ditched attacks on Mr. Romney’s background after the former House speaker’s loss in the Florida primary, and many Republican voters said they were turned off by attacks on Mr. Romney for his financial success.

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